Member-only story
Pet Peeve Phrase Challenge
We all have pet peeves, sometimes they are phrases of speech. Here are the top phrases people say that drive me nuts.
Let’s Unpack this…
Oh, how I hate this phrase. It’s been used in educational sectors for the last ten years at least; I first heard the phrase in 2012. I was leading a parent advocacy group for gifted students in our school district. The common core was just being introduced and our then Director of Curriculum and Instruction said “let’s unpack how the common core is enough to address the needs of gifted students,” or something close to that.
Really?! Unpack? It was ed speak gobbledygook as far as I was concerned, especially since she was talking to a room that included parents as well as educators and administrators.
I began to hear the word unpack in every meeting I attended. Unpack means to take things out, as in we are “unpacking from our trip.” I don’t need an administrator to act like they are “in the know” by using the latest buzzword in education. It sickened me.
I still cringe when I hear someone say the word unpack in relation to explaining things or determining parts of a model or plan during a meeting. Saying, “let's find out” would be just fine.
